As a native of New Hampshire, this writer thought it might be fun to go to my first Trump rally.
When I heard that President Donald Trump would be coming to the Southern New Hampshire University Arena in Manchester this past week, I got online and got my free pass.
Wow, that was easy, I thought.
Maybe if I show up a couple of hours early, I’ll get good seats, too.
Was I ever naïve about that.
If you haven’t yet been to a Trump rally, make a point of doing so.
It’s an experience you will never forget.
Here’s are six very surprising things I learned at my first Trump rally this week.
1). President Trump is more popular than a rock star. Think that’s an exaggeration?
More people passionately love our president, in my opinion, than anyone alive today (except maybe the pope, but even that is questionable).
Yes, he has plenty of haters, too. But his supporters love him on a level I’ve not witnessed before.
Women supporters were literally crying as his motorcade pulled up to the Southern New Hampshire University Arena this past Thursday night.
Between 30,000 and 40,000 people converged on Manchester to get a glimpse of Trump.
That’s three times more people than the next largest draw in Manchester’s history, which was Sir Elton John.
Sadly, for most of us, the stadium “only” holds just over 11,000 people. The line to see the president had started 24 hours before he spoke.
The doors opened around 4 p.m., and a little over an hour later, the entire arena was at full capacity.
Related: Trump Returns to New Hampshire, Where He Secured His First Primary Victory
I showed up at 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon — and wound up hiking to the end of the line, which wound through the streets of Manchester for over 10 blocks. And the line was 4 to 5 people wide.
2.) There are many people of color at Trump rallies. If you’ve ever watched CNN or MSNBC, you would think that only “white nationalists” and “racists” support Donald Trump.
So imagine my surprise when I noticed a large number of Trump supporters who were black, Hispanic, and Asian in attendance. And this was in New Hampshire, one of the whitest states in America.
One African-America gentleman I spoke to drove up from Boston to see the president. I also chatted with a Chinese immigrant from Rhode Island who supports Trump because she said she knows firsthand what Communism does to humanity.
While standing outdoors by the Jumbotron during the president’s speech with thousands of other supporters, I noticed no less than 10 non-white supporters within 20 feet of me.
3). Millennials are the most enthusiastic Trump supporters. I had assumed that all young people were ignorant, brainwashed snowflakes.
I was shocked by how many of these Trump supporters were so young.
And they seemed to have the most passion for conservative causes in the crowd.
Perhaps it is just the energy that comes with youth, but the millennials in attendance were the ones holding Trump 2020 banners, hilarious homemade signs, and the ones leading the chants of “U.S.A.!” and “Four more years!” during the president’s address.
It was inspiring — and it gave me hope for our nation’s future.
4.) Trump supporters love each other. There was a very happy and loving vibe in Manchester on Thursday night.
The crowds were so thick it felt like I was in New York City’s Times Square that evening.
Everyone was smiling.
Biker dudes were hugging skinny nerds they had just met, and whenever I bumped into anyone, a hand would touch my shoulder and the offender would politely say, “Oh, I’m so sorry my friend!” with a friendly grin.
While standing among the throngs of supporters under the Jumbotron, a middle-aged man next to me just blurted out at the top of his lungs, “I love all you people!”
At first I was taken aback and even embarrassed for him — but within a split second everyone around us started cheering and saying “We love you, too!”
Another supporter chimed in with, “‘I love you’ on three!”
“One, two, three” — after which dozens of people around us all screamed in unison, “I LOVE YOU!”
Truly, it was an amazing moment.
5.) Trump rallies are a boon to the local economy. In my 20+ years of living in New Hampshire, I have never seen downtown Manchester as busy as it was Thursday night.
Every restaurant and pub along Elm Street was at full capacity.
On top of that, I witnessed no crime, no bad behavior, and not even a single drunk on the streets. (Maybe they were there; if so, I just didn’t see them.)
A sea of people were wandering the streets in red hats, pleasantly saying hello to each other, nodding, or giving one another a thumbs-up and a little “MAGA!” greeting.
It was fun, and I couldn’t help feeling like this is what America used to be like: prosperous, friendly and safe.
I imagine a liberal reader would criticize my comments and describe them as “racist and reminiscent of white America.”
But this was not an all-white crowd. The crowd was diverse; all ages and ethnicities were present around us, as I suggested earlier.
After the rally, my buddy and I stopped into a pub and sat down for dinner.
The people on either side of us immediately greeted us and started asking how our evening went. The bartenders and wait staff were hustling, and they appeared to be making great tips that night.
There were between 100 and 200 protesters, mostly kids and old white guys with grey ponytails, who were waving signs and shouting. For the most part, they were largely ignored by the sea of red hats. I almost felt a little sorry for them.
No other political rally could compare to a Trump rally. A recent event for former Vice President Joe Biden in New Hampshire drew a crowd of under 100 people. A more recent campaign rally held by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) drew a crowd of 700.
6.) The streets of Manchester looked cleaner after the rally ended. Liberals love to claim that conservatives don’t care about the environment. Of course, this notion is absurd.
But after 40,000 people swarmed into Manchester for the day, I was amazed by how clean the streets were at the end of the night. As might be expected, the public garbage cans were very full. But there was no shameless littering throughout the city.
I witnessed people standing in line for hours drinking from water bottles, but I did not see a single empty water bottle lying in the streets. I even saw a young guy pick up a piece of trash while standing in line and put it in his pocket.
Seeing this kind of behavior by others is contagious. I saw a business card lying on the sidewalk while waiting in line for the rally. Wanting to do my part, I picked up the muddy card and placed it in my pocket until I found a garbage can to dispose of it.
There was one small area outside the stadium that was left messy. The Manchester police were able to corral the Trump protesters and place them all in this one area.
There were between 100 and 200 protesters, mostly kids and old white guys with grey ponytails, who were waving signs and shouting. For the most part, they were largely ignored by the sea of red hats. I almost felt a little sorry for them.
At 11 p.m., well after the rally, that area was littered with protester signs and other garbage. My only regret is that I didn’t get a photograph of the mess they left in Manchester.
Here’s the bottom line. A Trump rally is fun — really fun.
It’s something any Trump supporter should try to attend at least once.
As for me, the next time President Trump comes to New Hampshire, I’ll be taking the day off from work — and I’ll be in line six hours before the doors open.
This piece by a blogger for the Objectivist originally appeared in that publication and is used by permission.
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